Round-a-corner nail driver



July. 5, 1949. G. E. sTlLwELL ROUND-A-CORNER NAIL DRIVER Filed June 21, 1947 Patented July 5, 1949 tran N amasar R'OUNDEA CURNER` DRIVER?.

Glenn. stuwen.. Riverside.. calif.; assigner to. I Food Machinery;4 and` `Chemical. Corporation,

SanJose, Calif., ai corporation oflelaware 3 Claims.

This invention` relatesto `nailing `machines and is particularly useful in such amachine in which: nails are simultaneously. driven into the work vertically and*horizontally.v

Nailing machines of this;` character are:l employed f in assembling. a completef crate?. head;- or crate imasingle nailingV operation;` I

In this operation, a vertically reciprocating cross head isz usually.v employed t'o drive nails downwardly into the work,y while means, actuated fromtlie cross head often .through a belllcrank, divesnails' horizontally into "the work.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved right angle nail driver for driving a nail horizontally in response ,to the reciprocation vertically of a prime mover.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing object as well as other objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a semi-plan view of a preferred embodiment of the invention taken on the line I-I Vof Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the invention is there shown as embodied in a right angle nail driver I having a rigid guide body II which includes a unitary outer casting I2 with which a base block I3 of a nail chuck I4 is cast integral. The body II also includes an inner casting I5 which is united by bolts I6 and cap screws I'I with the casting I I to form a guideway I8 having opposed tracks I9 and 20 formed on the castings I2 and I5 respectively (Fig. 1). The guideway I8 has a primary straight portion 22, a curved portion 23 and a secondary straight portion 24.

The body I I is secured by cap screws 25 and 26 to frame members 28 and 29 of a nailing machine (not shown) so that its position is iixed during the operation thereof in the driving of nails horizontally, as in the manufacture of crate heads or crates in said machine.

The base block I3 of the chuck I4 has formed therein a nail driving chamber 30 which is aligned with and connects with the secondary straight guideway portion 24. The block I3 has channels 3l which converge to unite with the chamber 80 at the open end 32 of the latter, through which (Cl. .1 -1) I 21: nailsi` N': are driven from the chuck` I4: Iieafi. springs 32.: are: secured! by.v screws 34 to the 1 inner. sides wallsi off the channelsY 3l; the i forward ende of.7 these; `spring-s.` having. nail. guiding; pockets 35.-. and beingslightlyvbenti so` as: to meet` facel to'iface as'fshownzinzFig; 11'.. Thesewspringsiiune-i tion'. to guide a'vnail N1. to f aline this` while. it is'v b'eing'drivenand? yield to: allow thenail andcthei driver-topass:therebetween.. Extendingupwardly from.T thblocks: |31. aref-pinsf lI-Il-x having;` notches 4I.'` formed near'thein upperl ends :land facing;` ini-'fwardlyl. Apertured to y receive: the* pins 4m when: moved downwardly to cover the chamber 38 is a chuck cap block 42. This block is yieldably heldin place by a leaf spring 43 which is manually inserted into the notches 4I, as shown in Fig. 2. Formed in the block 42 is an oblique nail feeding passage 44 with which a nail tube 45 connects.

It is to be noted that portions 46 and 41 of the cap block 42 extend downwardly into the nail driving chamber 30 to cause this to confine a nail driving plunger 48 in a snug sliding relation therewith. The plunger 48 extends into the secondary guideway portion 24 and into a cross head 49 in which it is located by a key 50. The cross head 49 makes a. neat sliding t with the opposed tracks I9 and 20 within the guideway portion 24.

Disposed in the guideway I8 and having one end thereof connected by a pin 5I to the cross head 49 is a flexible roller chain 52, This chain at all times fills the curved portion 23 of the guideway I8 and extends into one or the other or both of the straight portions 22 and 24 thereof. Connected to the other end of the chain 52 by a pin 53 is an actuator rod 54. The rod 54 extends upwardly Ato connect with a vertically reciprocating cross head (not shown) of the nailing machine in which the right angle nail driver III is employed. The rod 54 is of a suitable diameter to be slideably received in the straight guideway portion 22.

As nails are driven vertically by the nailing machine aforesaid, the rod 54 is reciprocated downwardly and upwardly in the guideway portion 25, this motion being transmitted through the transmitter chain 52 to the nail driving plunger 48, thereby reciprocating this in the chamber 30 to drive a nail N horizontally from the mouth 32 of the chuck I4.

I claim:

1. A round-a-corner nail driver, comprising: rigid guide means providing a guideway having a primary straight portion, a curved portion and a secondary straight portion; a nail chuck united to said guide means and having a nail driving 3 chamber which connects with said secondary straight guideWay portion; a nail driving plunger slideably disposed in said Ichuck and said secondary guideway portion; a roller link chain connected at one'end to said plunger and disposed in said guideway so Vas to extend through the curved portion thereof; tracks on opposite sides of said guideway by which the rollers of said chain are guided; and an actuator guided in `said primaryrrstraightrportion of saidrguideway and connecting to the opposite end of said chain.

2. A round-,a-corner nail driver, comprising: rigid guide means providing a guideway having a primary straight portion, a curved portion, and a secondary straight portion; a nail chuck including a base block and a cap block which combine to form a nail driving chamber which connects with said secondary straight guideway portion; means for yieldably holding said cap block on said oase block, said base block and said guide means comprising a unitary casting; a nail driving plunger' slideably disposed in said chuck and said secondary guideway portion; a'

flexible motion transmitter element connected at one end tosaid plunger and disposed in said guideway so as to extend through the curved portion thereof; and an actuator guided in said primary straight portion of said guidewayand connecting to the opposite end of said transmitter.

3. A round-a-corner nail driver, comprising: rigid guide means providing a guideway having ra primary straight portion, V*a curved portion,

4 and a secondary'straight portion; a, nail chuck united to said guide means and having a nail driving chamber which connects with said secondary straight guideway portion; a nail driving plunger siideably disposed in said chuck and said secondary guideway portion; a flexible motion transmitter element disposed in said guideway so as to extend throughithe curved portion thereof with one end of said transmitterextendlng into said secondary guideway portionpa cross head provided on said end of said transmitter and slideable in said secondary guideway portion; means for detachably connecting said nail plunger to said cross head; and an actuator guided in said primary straight portion of said guideway and connecting to the opposite end of said transmitter.

GLENN E. STILWLL.

REFERENCES CITED vThe following referenlces 4are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,403,104 Peyer Jan. 10, 1922 1,558,500 Pope Oct. 27, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS l Number Country Date 494,122V Great Britain Oct. 20, 1938 

